The Missing Gods
by zodiacc
Summary: Percy and Annabeth receive some grave news and prepare for a quest to rescue the Big Three but face several obstacles in their path to save them. To complete the prophecy and save the gods, how far will they have to go?
1. Snow on Camp Halfblood

The snowball hit my head with surprising force. I turned around and saw Grover high-tailing it—wait, no, _hoofing_ it—out of the sword arena and quickly followed him, dropping Riptide neatly into my pocket and scooping up snow to use as a weapon instead.

Running up behind the Demeter cabin, I looked around and didn't see any sign of Grover. Suddenly, there was a loud SPLAT and the back of my head and shirt were soaked with slush. I whipped around and didn't see anyone, but I heard invisible giggling about three feet to my right. I pounced, and Annabeth appeared, twisting out of my grasp with her Yankees cap slipping off her head into the snow.

"I guess Poseidon's domain doesn't extend to the frozen kind of water," Annabeth taunted, still laughing and brushing snow off herself as she stood up.

"I guess it doesn't," I snapped back, digging half-melted snow out of my shirt collar. I tried to scowl at Annabeth but she just laughed at me again and grabbed by hand.

I was leaning in to kiss her as a conch horn blew in the distance (don't ask me how I knew that it was a conch horn, I just did). Annabeth turned in surprise, her blonde hair softly smacking me in the face.

"What do you think it is this time?" She asked with an edge in her voice.

"Oofph," I replied, trying to recover my dignity and pulling strands of her hair out of my mouth. Still holding my hand, Annabeth strode toward the Big House, with both of us wondering how the world would decide to end this time.


	2. We Get Some Bad News

Annabeth and I trudged up the hill towards the Big House, my mind racing as to what this new situation could be. As we neared the front steps, Chiron stepped out in full centaur form to meet us, his war bow strung across his back and a devastating look in his eyes. I looked quickly at Annabeth, who merely returned my confusion, and then refocused my attention on Chiron as more and more campers started to fill in around us, awaiting news.

"Campers!" Chiron said, briefly looking at each individual and clearing his throat before beginning. "I have shocking and terrible news."

A ripple of mutters went through the crowd of demigods, some humorous, as if to say "when isn't there terrible news?" and some nervous, contemplating what this next quest would encompass after all we'd already accomplished.

Chiron cleared his throat again, this time pointedly, waiting for the crowd to settle down again before he hit us with the death ray. "I have gotten word from Olympus that a god has gone missing."

There was a loud exhale as the campers returned to their relaxed state. I knew it was common for the gods to go off and party with a couple wood nymphs for a decade or two, so I was still waiting to hear the dreadful news that Chiron promised us.

"This is rather unlike history," Chiron continued, "this time three gods have disappeared at once."

This statement brought the muttering demigods to a stop, as no one could remember an instance of three gods missing at once, though I had my money on Aphrodite and Ares… Maybe Hephaestus was the third and he was off strangling the war god. Chiron began speaking again, and I caught a glimpse of Annabeth leaning forward next to me, as if she could inhale his words.

"Percy, perhaps you would like a moment alone?" Chiron suggested, while I stupidly stared at him with my mouth open, shaking the image of Annabeth's silken hair falling forward into her face as she listened to Chiron.

"What?" I asked smartly, and a few campers halfheartedly chuckled, but refrained from outright laughing at me, which I took as a dreadful sign. I turned to Annabeth again and realized she was staring at me with shock and pity, reaching toward me as if I were a dying bird that needed help.

"Percy… Your father is one of the missing," Chiron repeated, and this time the words sunk in.

"Missing?" I said, trying to put the pieces together. "How do they know? He's been known to disappear with a wood nymph from time to time." I wanted to groan at my lack of tact and prayed that my dad wasn't listening to me talk about his love affairs, many of which have led to surprise cyclops babies like my brother Tyson. Kind of a touchy subject with most demigods.

"Hades and Zeus have both disappeared as well," Chiron gravely said. "Their war tokens have remained. This leads us to believe that they did not go willingly from Olympus."

Annabeth put her arm around my shoulders as the floor dropped out from beneath me. My mind went numb and it wasn't because of the snowflakes still piling up on my head. I fought to understand the gravity of what Chiron was saying, but all I could do was picture my dad's trident, sitting on an empty throne. I knew he would never leave his trident, just like I could never part from Riptide.


	3. Rachel Turns Green Again

Regaining my thoughts, I pushed through the crowd of staring demigods and headed toward Rachel's cave. Chiron called out to me, but no one could have stopped me except Annabeth, who was at my side as if she could read my mind. _I_ would get that quest. I would save my dad (and Zeus and Hades I guess). There was nothing that could stand in the way of trying to find my dad and save the Olympian world… again.

I started breathing faster and faster, and I guess I squeezed Annabeth's hand too hard because she winced and pulled me to a stop.

"Percy…" Annabeth said, placing her hands on either side of my face and looking into my eyes. "I need you to breathe with me, okay?"

I stared back unblinkingly into her grey eyes, trying to lose myself in them for the millionth time, but my thoughts kept returning to my dad. I sucked in a deep breath and put my hands over hers, holding her close to me before I was ready to resume walking. She touched her forehead to mine and we stayed like this for an eternity, breathing in the scent of each other and feeling our pulses beat to the same rhythm.

"Okay, I'm ready," I said after a few minutes, both dreading and anticipating what another quest would do to us after everything we've already been through. Annabeth softly caressed my cheek and then replaced her hand in mine with a quick reassuring smile as we continued on towards Rachel's cave.

I know I'm just a random demigod, but I used to expect the Oracle's cave to be more mystic. Maybe some more crystal balls and tie-dye tapestries? I suggested it to Rachel once and she just threw a paintbrush at me, so maybe interior decorating isn't really her thing. We stepped into the cave and saw a much more modern scene; Rachel was standing up at the far wall and staring at a spot on her most recent mural of the Summer of '06 Dryad and Naiad Festival (and if anyone asks, Grover didn't really dye his hooves and horns green for a week, that's just a rumor). As we approached her, her thumb darted out and smudged an image of the wood nymph Arethusa and Leneus the Satyr dancing around a river of wine and head banging to flute music.

"Rachel?" Annabeth prompted, avidly looking anywhere but at the scantily-clad image of Aphrodite's left butt cheek painted on the cave wall next to her face.

Rachel whipped around and squinted at us, before turning and staring at the mural again.

"I know why you're here," she said. "Apollo warned me you'd come."

"Then you already know what I'm going to ask," I replied.

Rachel turned around slowly, gazing at Annabeth before turning to study me. I felt a slight shiver as her aura started to take on a greenish hue and her eyes clouded over.

 _Wisdom and waves will combine all alone,_

 _To seek the items left on the throne,_

 _You will fly to the farthest reaches of Earth,_

 _And find the one from whom they were birthed._

 _The planets will shift as you fail together,_

 _To come home alive, while one dies forever._

Rachel blinked a few times and then stared at us in shock.

"One dies forever…?" Annabeth started saying as I cut her off with a scared look.

"Listen, Rachel," I pleaded, "please don't repeat this to anyone. Tell Chiron what you want, but don't tell him the prophecy. Tell him Annabeth and I are going on a short vacation to Tahiti, I don't care." She nodded at my words, probably not trusting herself to speak, and hugged each of us before wishing us good luck.

"Please don't die," Rachel said. "I don't have many friends left to spare."

With that we left the cave, trying not to show any of the emotions that were broiling under the surface.

"Wisdom and waves, huh?" Annabeth smirked.

"I guess we're finally getting the couple's quest of death we always dreamed about, honey," I halfheartedly joked. Annabeth smiled and then put her Yankees cap on, disappearing from my side, as I headed toward my cabin to get ready for the planets shifting or whatever.


	4. I Get an Unexpected Visit

As I headed back to my cabin, I could feel someone watching me. I turned around quickly and almost slipped and fell on the snow when a godly arm darted out to save me from embarrassment and slush stains.

"Hello, Perseus," the goddess Hera said, with a cold smile. I sort of insulted her last time we spoke, so this was a much better greeting than what I was preparing myself for.

"Uh, Queen Hera, hello," I said, trying to come to terms with the queen of the gods standing in front of my cabin. "What do you want?" I added abruptly, not wanting to waste time.

Her eyes narrowed at me, but she continued, "I understand that you have received a quest to save my husband. I would like to offer you my advice and any reasonable aid you may need on this quest."

"Yeah, uh, listen, let's get one thing straight, I'm not doing this quest to save your husband, I'm doing this quest to find my dad and get them _all_ back to Olympus. Your "help" has always done me way more harm than good. So thanks, but no thanks."

Hera stared at me for a moment as if she was sizing me up, until she said, "Alright, but there will come a day when you will personally regret insulting my offers of help. Find my husband and his brothers. Restore the heart of Olympus. But you will receive no fanfare from me until then." With that, she began glowing more and more, and I averted my eyes as she disappeared.

I sighed and opened the door to my cabin, beginning to plan what I would need to take with me. By the time I finished packing, there was a soft knock on the door, which opened to see nothing but thin air. I knowingly stepped to the side and then slowly closed the door, turning around to meet Annabeth's eyes as she slid her Yankees cap off.

"What happened?" Annabeth asked, before I even had a chance to clear the clouds out of my head from seeing her lounging on my bed.

"Uh, Hera stopped by," I said. Annabeth raised her eyebrows and then twisted back until she was sprawled over my entire bed, her shoe hanging off next to me. "Do you have a plan yet?"

Annabeth turned over towards me and rolled her eyes. "Really, Seaweed Brain? Why is it always up to me to make the plans?"

"Because I always seem to get us blown up," I replied, trying to sound sincerely incompetent.

"Hmm… Okay well good thing we have a plan then," Annabeth said with a smirk, gesturing for me to come sit down next to her.

I picked a spot near the corner of the bed, since she was being such a bed hog there weren't many other options. She scooted over a little bit, but still took up most of the bed with her arms and legs. I leaned my body over hers, feeling the familiar butterflies that still always came when I was this close to her, and lightly kissed her forehead as she closed her eyes.

Her hand came up to grasp the back of my neck, pulling me closer, so I leaned in and began kissing her, first softly, and then more aggressively as she molded her body around mine. I could've stayed there forever, kissing her soft lips, looking into her stormy grey eyes partially closed under her eyelashes, but there was a loud shout outside and we pulled apart suddenly, too used to the experience of Chiron embarrassingly splitting us up.

As we separated, everything that had happened in the last few hours came flooding back. Annabeth looked worried when she stared back at me, but didn't say anything as she stood up and peeked out of the window.

"It looks like our distraction went perfectly," Annabeth said with a slight quiver in her voice, both of us readying ourselves to leave. Now that we had to leave the comfort of camp and save the world again, we both felt the familiar pangs that Tartarus left in our stomachs.


	5. We Hit a Speed Bump

We grabbed our backpacks and turned out all the lights in the cabin, slipping out of the door, with Annabeth invisible again. I snuck around the corner of my cabin, avoiding the abalone exterior and trying to get a good look at what "distraction" Annabeth had come up with. From where I was standing in the dark, it looked like a giant silver raptor had been let loose in the sword arena, and was pelting campers with peanut M&Ms and kicking up snow into everyone's faces. I chuckled under my breath and then headed towards the stables, hoping Annabeth wasn't too far behind.

As I reached the stables, I felt her hand on my back. Feeling reassured, I whistled softly for Blackjack, who appeared to my left.

 _Ready to go, boss?_ Blackjack asked. I could hear his second thought about donuts, but decided to ignore it for now.

"Ready. How far can you take us before anyone notices you're missing?" I asked.

 _I can take you as far as the city, but Porkpie's gonna notice if I don't make it to poker tonight._

It was incredibly hard not to imagine the Pegasus playing poker, but I had slightly more important things to worry about for the moment. Annabeth and I climbed up on Blackjack's back and prepared for a very cold ride in the dark as Blackjack launched himself into the air and started to gain speed.

One freezing ride later, Annabeth and I detached ourselves and slid off Blackjack's back onto the icy ground in Central Park. I looked around to make sure there were no mortals around us, and more importantly monsters, before I relaxed my hand on Riptide and turned to Blackjack to say goodbye.

"Thanks Blackjack, I owe you one," I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

 _No problem, boss_ , Blackjack snorted. _Just make sure you pay me in donuts._ With that, he extended his wings and threw himself into the unforgiving wind.

Annabeth searched my face, probably looking for the pain and worry I was trying to hide from her. She opened her mouth to say something, but then the snow and ice exploded behind her as a large form burst out of the previously frozen over lake.

"It's the Lernean Hydra!" Annabeth yelled, ducking behind a gathering of trees. I would have ducked behind something too, if I weren't in the middle of the only clearing Central Park probably had. I was a dozen feet away in every direction from any sort of cover, so I did the only thing a rational person would do—I dove toward the monster.

You know, in the back of my head, I was thinking something along the lines of "as long as I can get to the water, maybe I can fight this thing." But hindsight is 20/20, especially when you butt heads with a twenty foot serpent instead of heading in the direction you intended. I should have seen that coming, especially since it had seven heads.

I briefly heard Annabeth clash the hilt of her knife against one of the monster's other heads, before dodging a poisonous spew. Shaking off my dizziness and trying to get back on my feet before it trampled me, I slipped on a patch of ice and my hand darted out to grab hold of something to regain my balance.

I guess the Lernean Hydra doesn't take too kindly to being grabbed in the face, so I side stepped quickly as the head I had just face-palmed spit poison in my direction. My hands now free and my balance slightly better, I uncapped Riptide to do some real damage. To my left, Annabeth was dodging and smacking four heads at once, trying to avoid to poison and give each head a concussion.

I knew better than to slice the heads off, thanks to a previous run-in with one of its ugly cousins a few years ago, so I opted for the next best thing. Dodging the hissing maws and spilled poison, I drew up Riptide to bring it smashing into the ground, right at the monster's feet. There was a pause, which seemed as though the monster knew I had made a mistake and was now going to have a delicious dinner, but then the ice under its feet started cracking rapidly, spreading across the whole lake.

I felt a rumble, and as Annabeth jumped back onto solid ground, the monster and I went tumbling into the depths below.


	6. I Almost Die But What's New

I want to say that my original plan of fighting the monster in the water was flawless, but all I could think when I hit the water was AAARGH.

Every inch of my body felt like it was on fire in the freezing water, and I used every ounce of strength I had to twist away from the Hydra and form a protective barrier against the water. Normally, my abilities keep my temperature regulated in the water, so I racked my brain trying to figure out what I was missing.

The serpent, now revitalized in the water, came shooting toward me, all seven mouths open and ready for a bite of demigod sushi. I searched my pocket for Riptide, glad that it had reappeared in time, and yanked it out. I slashed at one of the heads out of instinct and the monster roared, sending up strange purple bubbles. The head rapidly started growing back, along with an eighth head, even more ugly than the last.

Thinking of anything that could kill the monster, I thought of the Hydra that Annabeth, Tyson, and I had fought years ago; that was a swamp dwelling Hydra, so I guessed that this one preferred the lake. Something in my subconscious was telling me there was something important about the lake, but I just couldn't think of it before the monster charged me again.

The heads all snapped at me together, but using the soft current, I dodged them and slashed at another head, which multiplied again by two. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpsed an eerie glow coming from a corner of the lake bottom. I backed my way toward it, sliding this way and that way to avoid the nine Hydra heads, which were now hissing so loud I could see the current rippling off its body.

I felt a rock behind my back and quickly glanced around, realizing that the glow I had seen was coming from a deepset cave in the rocks, leading even deeper underground.

Suddenly I was struck with the original story: The original Lernaean Hydra lived in the lake of Lerna, which conveniently doubled as an entrance to the Underworld.

Quickly forming a plan as I twisted in the water to avoid the heads, I began to shift the current around the monster, almost as if the lake were cradling it.

The serpent fought back aggressively, tearing and clawing at me through the freezing water, but I continued to shroud it in an underwater hurricane, binding it into a ball, and guided the current towards the cave.

The monster roared even louder, poison leaking from every mouth in an effort to bathe as much water in poison as possible. I shoved the current away from me, blasting the monster down into the cave with such a force that the rocks started sliding, closing over the entrance and threatening to collapse on top of me. I shot upward as fast as I could, trying to breathe as little as possible, as I became drenched in the Hydra's poison.

I broke the surface and Annabeth ran towards me, which was great, because I almost died right then.

Annabeth kneeled at my side and shoved ambrosia in my mouth, holding my head up so I could swallow it. I briefly enjoyed the taste before the feeling came back into my legs and hands, which just made me hurt even more. My clothes were smoking, and I smelled like three-week-old brisket.

"Uunh," I grunted, struggling to sit up, but Annabeth pushed me over like I was a piece of cardboard, and began rubbing my legs, trying to warm them up.

"I could have told you that was an entrance to the Underworld," Annabeth said grimly, "before you dived in to get yourself killed. Your powers don't work down there like they usually would, the lake of Lerna sucks the life out of you."

I decided not to respond, since she was right and we both knew it. Annabeth's massaging was warming me up quickly, so I sat up and looked into her eyes, which were filled with worry.

"I thought we were in this together," she whispered. "Ever since Tartarus…"

"I know. I'm sorry," I rasped, feeling guilty. "I'll try not to do it again, and if I do, you're welcome to drown with me." I hoped the joke would make the situation lighter, and was relieved when she rolled her eyes and began putting the ambrosia back in her pack. I reached out and brushed a long strand of blonde hair out of her eyes and leaned in to kiss her.

She let me lean all the way in, our lips almost touching, our breath mingling, before she said loudly, "okay, well now that you're feeling better, let's go."

It was my turn to roll my eyes and groan as we stood up, shouldered our packs, and set off down the empty, snowy streets toward the Empire State.


	7. We Go Thrift Shopping On Olympus

By my calculation it was either very late at night, or very early in the morning by the time we got to the Empire State building. Annabeth and I stood for a moment outside the glass doors and gathered our thoughts before trudging into the gods' domain.

The doorman looked up at us from his coffee and gave us a patronizing look before putting a hand up like he was going to stop us. "Look, they told me not to let you in after what happened the last time."

"That was one time! And Zeus forgave me for it anyway," I scoffed, leaning forward and peering over his desk for the key.

"I thought it was Ares that you lit on fire?" He replied, narrowing his eyes at us. I decided not to answer while Annabeth took my arm and steered me away.

"What are you doing?" I whispered to her. "We didn't get the elevator key!"

"While you were busy arguing, the rest of us were using our brains," she muttered, deftly showing me the key in her coat pocket. I raised my eyebrows, but couldn't stay impressed for very long because the elevator dinged a few feet to our left. We were several hundred floors up before the elevator shuddered, which I guessed meant the doorman was missing his key.

The doors swiftly opened on our floor and we stepped out, gazing over Manhattan from the 600th floor. I sneaked a glance at Annabeth and immediately felt a warming sensation as I watched her grey eyes glitter with the hundreds of lights in the city below.

We slowly started up the marble steps toward Olympus, careful to stay away from the edge. Annabeth and I talked softly about different things as we walked, sometimes commenting on a new building façade she expertly created for the Olympians, and sometimes making remarks about the time Grover had tried to eat the shrubbery next to the Muses' recording studio. By the time we reached the throne room, we were quiet, looking for any sign of the gods.

Annabeth stepped forward into the dark entrance and called out, which I thought was a dumb move, since that's how the main character always gets killed in horror movies. There was a slight rustle towards the back of the room, and Annabeth and I hesitated, drawing our weapons to let the celestial bronze light the way. Out of all the things I've hesitated to face, it's probably something making noise in an empty black throne room meant for immortal gods.

Annabeth and I slowly approach the corner of the throne room holding our breath, until I catch sight of Hestia bathed in a glow from the dying coals in the fireplace. I quickly capped my sword while Annabeth stowed her knife and reached a hand toward Hestia, who looked particularly gross-looking. I retracted my hand fast when I felt heat coming off of her, composing myself as she turned her sickly face towards me.

"Perseus Jackson?" She rasped. She looked like a kid on her deathbed. I knew this had to do with my dad missing, since her domain was over home.

"Hello, goddess," I replied, and Annabeth issued her greeting as well. We both snuck a quick look at each other and I knew she was thinking the same thing as me—can gods get sick?

"I know I am not my usual appearance," Hestia began, her chest struggling to rise with every word. "I know you once saw your father in a state like this as well, Perseus." She added, and I remember that I had, when I visited my father's domain before the battle of New York and convinced him to let it fall in exchange for fighting Typhon. It hadn't been easy seeing my father as a fractured old man, just as it wasn't easy seeing Hestia as a sickly child.

"The items that you seek are here, in the coals, my throne," Hestia continued, banishing my thoughts of my father from my mind. Annabeth nudged forward and threw a questioning look at me.

"Er, what items?" I asked, which probably wasn't subtle enough, because Annabeth elbowed me in the ribs. Hestia didn't answer, and her breathing became even more labored. I decided I wasn't getting any more answers from her, so I stared into the coals, hoping I'd figure out what items I was seeking.

Annabeth gasped and pointed into the coals, too shocked to say anything for the moment, which I understood because I was currently gaping like a fish into the fireplace too.

I'd seen the master bolt before, but sticking my hand into hot burning coals to retrieve it was never something I saw coming. The fire tickled me, rather than burned, which I knew was due to my father's nature. I had learned that unfortunate and volcanic lesson several years before. I pulled the master bolt out of the coals, careful to keep it at an arm's length as it crackled and spit tiny bolts of electricity. Annabeth gingerly took it from me and just said "items?" I turned back to the fire when I realized her meaning, looking for another item in the coals. I plunged my hand in and retrieved the helm of darkness, my entire arm now dangerously red. Annabeth gaped at the coals as another item peeked through, and I dove my hand into the fire once more, wincing at the screaming nerves in my arm.

As my fingers closed around my father's trident, strength flooded through me like a current, and my arm felt like it had been doused in cold water. I retrieved what I knew was the final item from Hestia's coals and held the trident close to my heart, reveling in the familiar ocean scent that always reminded me of my father.

Hestia closed her eyes and smiled slightly, which I took to be a goodbye, so Annabeth and I thanked her and quickly backed out of the throne room.

"Was she protecting the items?" Annabeth pondered, dropping the helm of darkness into her backpack with an undignified shove.

"I guess so," I replied, thinking about Hestia's speech about home a few years ago. A flash erupted behind us and Annabeth and I swiveled to see what happened.

"Hello Annabeth. Perseus." Athena stared at us with her mouth in a thin line, reminding me of some of my old teachers who sent me into the hallway for disrupting class. "Just what do you think you're doing?"


	8. Annabeth's Mom Has Got It Going On

Annabeth started, her eyelids fluttering in surprise. "Mother!" She said, "what are you doing here?"

"I live here, child, what are _you_ doing here?" Athena asked, her grey eyes piercing straight through me. It felt like she could see the trident I was holding behind my back, but shook it off and kept staring back at her stubbornly. She shifted her disapproving look onto Annabeth, who stared back proudly, which made my heart want to burst out of my chest.

"Listen, uh, goddess, we don't want to disturb you, we're sorry, we were just leaving," I said, grabbing Annabeth's elbow and edging backwards toward the marble steps.

"Oh no you don't, Jackson," Annabeth's mother said sharply, "I know what you both are trying to accomplish and I will not allow it."

"Mom!" Annabeth said breathlessly, edging slowly with me.

"We just came for the items like the prophecy told us," I tried to reason, "and now we're leaving."

Athena gave a jerk of her head, her stare slicing through us, making Annabeth and I shiver. "The prophecy stated that you will fail, therefore, I cannot allow you to risk the lives of the gods due to your demigod pride."

"It's not demigod pride!" I snapped, getting seriously mad and looking for a way out of this situation. I was sure Annabeth had a plan, but it wasn't like I could just ask Athena to turn around so I could ask her.

"The prophecy also stated that one of you will die forever, did it not?" Athena posed, and I stood silently staring at her. "Are you really so ready to save your father that you would risk my daughter's life?"

That was when I knew she got me. They don't call her the goddess of wisdom for nothing. I was dumbstruck, suddenly staring at the back of Annabeth's blonde head and wondering why I even thought this quest was a good idea. Her life…

Suddenly, Annabeth elbowed me hard in the gut and eyed her mother, saying "I knew you would try to sway us, but being the wisest god in the room should also mean you know that prophecies aren't always what they seem." With that, Annabeth turned and wrapped her arm around my midriff, using my weight to kick off the marble floor and catapult us over the railing, 600 Empire State floors above the ground.


	9. We Go Skydiving

The wind slapped me in the face so hard my eyes teared up. I could vaguely feel Annabeth clinging to me as we fell through my overwhelming panic. I'm not a frequent flyer, but I've never been particularly afraid of heights. This was something else, though, and I seemed to have left my stomach back up on Olympus.

Annabeth started climbing up my waist, her nails digging into my skin as she fought the air resistance to stay with me. Every millisecond brought Manhattan's skyscrapers closer, and I desperately tried to come up with a plan. I heard something through my left ear and tried to figure out what it was before looking down into my arms at Annabeth. She was now only holding onto my waist with one arm, my hands being the only thing keeping her from tumbling around the sky like a kite. Her other arm was quickly digging into her backpack, still on her back, and I caught the noise again, which I figured out was her yelling at me.

"What?" I yelled through the wind, but she shook her head and continued searching her bag. She couldn't hear me, just like I couldn't hear her. The air pressure kept dropping fast and my ear drums felt like they were going to burst. Annabeth started pulling something bulky out of her bag as the skyscrapers came into sharp focus, only a couple hundred feet below us now. I quit looking for a plan and just prayed to whatever gods that were still in Olympus to look out for my mother and friends when Annabeth yanked her way up to my face, gripping my thigh between her legs like the rope we had to climb in gym class.

"THE BOLT!" She yelled right into my ear, and I puzzled for half a second, before I realized her plan. Holding onto each other with one arm each, she held out the master bolt, fighting to keep it steady against the wind as I reached out and unscrewed the bottom the smallest fraction of an inch.

The electricity arced straight toward the ground quickly materializing below us, with every hair on my head standing on end. Annabeth and I tightened our hold on the bolt as the lightening met the ground with a tremendous boom, and we were shot into the air so fast that I could feel my eardrums burst.


	10. We Need a Map

I didn't know how much time had passed before I finally woke up, could have been days, hours, or even minutes. When I finally came to, I realized I was clutching something hard in my arms and that it was starting to emit a strange burning smell. Dazed, I looked down and found that I was still holding the master bolt, which was the source of the odd smell, since it had started burning a hole through my jacket. I let go of it gently, letting it roll to my side as I tried to sit up, aching all over.

It felt like I had just gone through ten rounds with a cyclops, and I probably didn't look that great either. The hair on my arms had been singed off, and just by touching my hair, it felt like it was slightly charred. I didn't even want to know whether my eyebrows had made it through.

As I came to my senses, I started remembering what happened, and let out a small gasp when I realized Annabeth wasn't touching me anymore. It felt like I was sitting on a hard surface, but when I looked around, the air around me shifted and blurred, most likely due to a concussion, so I couldn't see my surroundings.

"Annabeth," I weakly rasped, trying to ignore the shooting pains in my ribcage. I couldn't hear anything, which made me uncomfortable since I also couldn't see anything. I reached up to touch my ear and my hand came away with crusted blood, which I hastily wiped on my jeans. I guessed that we probably shot so fast into the air that the pressure made my eardrums burst, which sucked because I kind of need them. I looked around again, this time more slowly, wondering if I was on a mountain, and where Annabeth had ended up. I chided myself, knowing I should have held onto her more tightly.

The air shifted again and I saw the remnants of a backpack about ten feet to my right. My heart leapt, but my stomach sank, hoping that the damage was from the fall rather than a hungry monster, and that Annabeth was intact and fine somewhere nearby. Gathering all my strength, I started doing this weird butt-shuffle thing towards the backpack, dragging the master bolt along, and hoping that no one would think to Iris-Message me right now.

Nearing the pack, I saw the trident snagged in one of the gnarled and burned straps, which I quickly wriggled free, still searching for the helm of darkness and any sign of Annabeth. I yelled her name a couple more times, until I realized that we could both be yelling for each other right now, not that either of us could hear it.

Suddenly I saw the helm, only a few inches away from my foot, and snatched it up quickly, wondering why I missed it earlier. I focused my eyes on that same spot, and realized that it wasn't my concussion affecting my eyes, the air was actually moving. It was like someone turned my surroundings on vibrate mode and forgot to turn it off. The air shifting and shimmering, sometimes allowing me to see fifty feet into the distance, and sometimes only a few inches. I felt disoriented suddenly, and started wildly looking around, searching for Annabeth.

I screamed. Something soft brushed the back of my neck, and before I could swipe Riptide in the air, a hand yanked my arm back, making my ribs white-hot with pain.

"What the—" I said, holding my ribs with one hand and struggling with the person behind me. Suddenly the hand on my arm disappeared, and a lock of blonde hair caught me full on in the mouth.

"Annuhbef," I yelled, hair still in my mouth as she slowly dragged her body around mine. She looked so beautiful, I almost didn't notice how injured she was. Almost.

She shook her head and pointed at her ears, which were caked with half-dried blood. Her arm was around her leg, holding a splint above a very nasty looking gash. I winced, knowing I probably didn't look much better.

We spent the next few moments frustratingly miming at each other, me trying to tell her about my ribs, with her motioning toward our left. After six attempts and me still staring at her blankly, she just rolled her eyes and gave up, reaching out to touch my ear. I could feel her fingertips, but my brain decided that was the time to clock out, so I drooped to my left and tried to ignore my painful wooziness and urge to vomit all over Annabeth.

She yanked the torn bookbag out of my hands and started searching. After finding nothing but holes, she started combing the ground around us with her hands. I watched her through my eyelashes, afraid to move or else the lump in my throat would give us a tasty treat that even Grover wouldn't eat.

Annabeth's hand darted out and she turned toward me with a wicked gleam in her eyes, my dad's trident in her lap. I perked up, realizing what she was doing, and allowed her to take my hand. She placed it on the trident and we waited for a few minutes until she finally spoke.

"Percy?" She whispered.

"I can hear you!" I said. She shook her head; she still couldn't hear me. Her voice sounded like she was talking through a wall. Like when you hold a seashell up to your ear, you can hear the ocean. Annabeth sounded like she was on a long distance collect call through a sea shell.

My head cleared up enough to get a clearer look of our surroundings, but it wasn't much better than before. The air was definitely vibrating though, and playing weird tricks on my eyes. It was like we were nowhere or in between. Like the DMV, I guess.

I couldn't even tell what type of ground we were sitting on or if it was snow, rock, or dirt. I looked up to find Annabeth gazing around us, surveying our surroundings as well, but she didn't seem to like the view.

"We have to get going," she said, tightening the splint around her leg and use my head as a stepladder. I grumbled; it wasn't like she could hear me anyway.

After she helped me to my feet, both of us wobbling dangerously, I tied my torn jacket around my ribcage, dulling a third of the pain. Holding the master bolt in one hand and the helm in the other, I tried to ignore the hair on my arms rising from the electricity in the bolt.

Annabeth gingerly carried the trident, putting her other arm around my waste to brace her leg. Together we limped off to see if there was food to eat or monsters to kill.


	11. All You Can Eat Buffet

I wish I could say we wandered around for 20 minutes and then found an excellent Denny's breakfast buffet, but I can't. We limped and shuffled and dragged ourselves for what seemed like miles, never getting out of the weird air or stupid misty vibrating fog. Sometimes the air would move in a way that we could see again—30 feet in front of us, but then it would move right back and we'd both groan in frustration while trying to see two feet in front of our torn up faces. We were monster kibble, not being able to see, barely able to fight.

Annabeth finally fell to her knees, giving up after what seemed like hours of walking. It remained the same brightness the entire time we walked, even though we couldn't see the sun. It felt like Apollo was playing some cruel prank on us, never letting the sun go down.

I slowly let myself fall to the ground, landing in a heap beside Annabeth, a little less graceful than I'd hoped. She smirked at me, but I could see the tiredness and frustration in her grey eyes. Her eyes matched the scenery, grey air, grey ground, grey sky, grey everything. Only Annabeth could make it look beautiful and intimidating.

She leaned against my shoulder, unwrapping her splint and assessing the damage to her leg. It looked surprisingly well, so she removed the splint entirely and wrapped the wound in a torn piece of her backpack. When she was done, she started laying down, pulling me to join her.

"I hate sleeping out in the open like this," she said. "You take first watch." And with that, she closed her eyes and in no time was snoring into my ear.

I wish I could say I kept a good watch, but the air shifted so much a cyclops could have been about to tap me on the shoulder and I'd never know. I mainly used the time to figure out where we were and how we could get food. Halfway into these thoughts about food, I realized how heavy I felt, and my eyelids started drooping.

Someone was shaking me awake. I shot up, ignoring the now dull throbbing of my ribs and grasped Annabeth's arms. She looked furious, and I knew I had screwed up. I've never fallen asleep on a watch before.

"They're missing!" She yelled, her hands flying out in frustration.

"What?" I said stupidly, trying to shake the heaviness from my body. It wouldn't go away.

"The helm! The trident! The master bolt!" She stood up, pulling me with her.

I fought to understand what was going on. Who could have taken it? We'd walked for miles and hadn't seen a single living being, mortal or otherwise. Annabeth took my hand and started walking in a random direction, hoping it was the right one.

In no time, we were exhausted. It felt like I weighed a thousand pounds, and just by looking at Annabeth, I knew she was feeling it too.

"We have to find food and water," I mouthed at her, miming eating and drinking. She slapped my hands down lightly.

"I can hear you," she said, frowning. I knew she wasn't frowning at the sound of my voice, it was because she was trying to figure out how she healed so fast without Ambrosia. I felt my ribs, wincing as they throbbed slightly, but realized they were nowhere near as bad as when we first got here.

The air shifted again, and Annabeth tackled me to the ground, her hand tight across my mouth. She was breathing quickly, staring somewhere to our right, and glanced at me with fear in her eyes.

"There's something over there," she whispered, her lips so close to my ear I could feel her nose in my hair. "It's big, and definitely not human."

I slowly reached down and clasped my hand around Riptide, when the air shifted again and a booming voice yelled "Oi! You two! Quit laying on the ground and come join us, for Zeus' sakes!"

I froze, staring at one of the weirdest looking beings I've ever laid eyes on.

"You gonna come here or keep staring?" One head said rudely.

"I don't know why everyone always _stares_ ," the other head said with an offended tone. "You've seen Janus before haven't you? Not much different!"

I stood up, bringing Annabeth with me, my hand still holding Riptide in my pocket as we nudged forward slightly. I was looking at two identical teenagers, bodies fused together at the waist, arguing with each other at the moment.

"Uh, why are you naked?" Is all I could think to ask. Annabeth elbowed me in the back as the twins stopped arguing with each other and faced me.

"Why are we naked?" One of them screeched.

"Oh that's all you heroes ever care about, no tact whatsoever! Doesn't Chiron teach you to be nice and respectful to your elders anymore?" The other one moaned, sounding like my mom.

They said they were older than me, so I knew their teenage façade meant they were either a monster or a god. My hand clenched Riptide even tighter, and I could feel Annabeth draw her knife behind me.

"No weapons at the table!" Said one of the twins.

"Nope, no weapons! We made that a rule after Odysseus, remember Castor?" The other one, Castor, groaned, sliding a hand over his butt and shaking his head.

"What table?" I asked, as Annabeth nudged me and whispered something I couldn't catch.

"Oi, these heroes, always blind, aren't they?" Said the twin I thought was Castor. A giant table appeared, holding an enormous amount of dishes filled with hundreds of different foods. I recognized plates of roast and spaghetti, a plate with a mountain of blue donuts, and a soup filled with what looked like bones. My mouth immediately started watering, but I kept my guard up, knowing that this was probably a trap.

"Now there's only one rule to sit here," the twin that wasn't Castor said pompously.

"I thought you said the rule was no weapons at the table?" Annabeth posed.

The twins looked at each other, pondering, and then said "nope! We never said that!" Annabeth and I shared a glance, wondering what was with these two.

"Okay then, what's the rule?" I asked, the smell of the food almost overwhelming at this point.

"You gotta say who we are," said Castor. The other twin smirked and nodded, crossing his arms over his chest.

Annabeth stepped forward and said "I know who you are, but how can you guarantee our safety if we eat here?" I raised my eyebrows at the twins in a "yeah!" sort of way, hoping that was supportive enough.

"Guess you'll just have to trust us!" The other twin crowed.

Annabeth breathed in slowly, pointing at Castor. "You're Castor," she said, "and you're Polydeuces." The twins looked at each other conspiratorially and then at Annabeth.

"Easy!" They said together. "But who are _we_?"

Annabeth looked between them and then confidently said, "you're the Dioscuri, the Gemini Twins." I looked at her, knowing she was right, and then looked at the twins, the puzzle pieces clicking together in my head.

"You're the protectors of travelers," I said, impressed.

"Correct!" They both crowed, motioning toward the food. "Welcome Perseus Jackson, Annabeth Chase." Then the twins snapped their fingers and disappeared with a slight pop.


	12. I Guess I'll Have the Salmon

Annabeth and I quickly seated ourselves at the table, heaping food onto our plates like it was Christmas dinner. I resigned myself to the fact that if this was still a trap, at least I'd go down with a full stomach.

She glanced at me while spooning some mashed potatoes. "Do you know where we are yet Percy?" She asked sadly.

I looked at her and swallowed a hunk of blue donut before thickly replying "no, but I feel like it's right on the edge of my brain." She nodded and started eating, the gears still turning behind her eyes after our conversation with the Dioscuri.

It took us quite a long time to finish eating, but when we finally pushed our plates away and stood up, the entire table disappeared. I looked uneasily at Annabeth, wondering for the hundredth time where we were.

Annabeth grabbed my hand, whispering "have you noticed the light hasn't changed at all? It should be dark by now, I've counted at least 15 hours since we woke up." I nodded, choosing not to speak since I didn't have any words of comfort or knowledge.

We continued walking, probably in circles, fighting the shifting air and struggling to move under the enormous weight on our shoulders for at least another hour. The bright mist reflected off itself and glared into our eyes, making it almost impossible to see. Finally, Annabeth put a hand on my chest and suggested we should rest. She took first watch this time, which made me think guiltily about when I fell asleep earlier. As I closed my eyes, I prayed to my dad, wondering if he could hear me and if he was okay.

I had a frustrating dream, as demigods tend to have. I was swimming through the thick air, trying to run but my feet wouldn't move. I heard a booming laugh and turned to see an enormous man that looked like he was enveloped in a black cloak and covered in twinkling lights.

"Perseus Jackson," he said, "finally we meet." I wanted to scream as I watched his towering form turn to face me directly, as big as Olympus, holding an entire planet in his enormous hands. He laughed again as he started crushing the blue planet with his fingernails, digging in until there was nothing left but dust.

I woke suddenly, and realized Annabeth had shaken me awake again. "There's something close," she whispered, frightened, her hand on her bronze knife. I quickly drew Riptide, pulling myself up into a crouching position and trying to peer through the still oddly bright mist.

Something was slowly approaching us—that much I could see through the fog. I heard Annabeth sharply inhale beside me as the mist shifted and the creature was revealed.

"Perseus Jackson. Annabeth Chase. I have heard tell of your arrival," he said. I tried to pay attention to what he was saying, but my brain decided to zero in on his enormous and super weird backside. Annabeth elbowed me hard in the ribs, which made me realize they had healed almost completely now, so I shifted my attention from this new guy's butt to the rest of him.

He looked like someone took a clay model of a goat, a human, and a fish and mashed it together. His upper half was human, with enormous goat horns crowning his head, while his legs were shaggy with cloven hooves. He would've looked exactly like a satyr, if not for the giant fish-butt sticking out of him. Where his shaggy legs ended, small fish scales began, roping their way down a long fishtail trailing behind him, floating on the mist as if he were submerged in water.

As I was wondering how he sits down to eat dinner, and whether or not his tail had to be pinned up for it, Annabeth took a small step forward and asked "do you know who guided us here?" I was a bit startled, seeing as I didn't even know where here was, but Annabeth was putting the pieces together.

"Child of Athena, don't you have an inkling? She would not have appeared to Perseus if she did not already have a plan. The gods are manipulative, and information is not freely given, as you know," the fish-satyr added with a bitter edge in his voice. I gripped Riptide harder, my knuckles turning white, trying to figure out what his discontent with the gods would mean for us.

"The Dioscuri… Where are they?" Annabeth asked, her hand inching toward her knife.

"My brothers are detained at the moment," the fish-satyr said, pawing at the ground with his hooves, "but they are a troublesome sort. You will be glad of their absence."

Annabeth snuck a look at me and mouthed something that looked like "Caprisun," which I knew had to be wrong since this was an odd time to want Hawaiian Punch. I turned my attention back to fish-satyr, and watched his fishtail flit back and forth like a cat about to pounce.

"I did a favor for the gods," Fishy said. "In their battle with Typhon, I ensured their victory. I restored Zeus to glory, but was he grateful? Oh, he said he was. Grateful enough to banish me amongst the stars." He stopped and sneered at us, the information coming together in my head. "I have spent a millennia plotting against him—he told me he would memorialize me! Instead he placed me where he could watch me every night, in a prison, sure that I would trick him as the Titans did."

Still watching the aggravated fishtail, I understood what he was saying, or what he wasn't saying. Annabeth had figured it out before me all right—she was trying to say Capricorn. He was a constellation, but I didn't have time to figure out how he got out of his starry prison, because he suddenly lunged at us, horns, hooves, fishtail, and all.


	13. We Almost Get Killed Again

If I had one thought before battling a fish-goat-man, it would be that the fishtail might slow him down, but this guy must have spent three thousand years with it, because he cut through the misty air like he weighed nothing. His horns came glaringly fast toward my face as Annabeth knocked them away with her knife and I avoided getting trampled by his hooves.

I was starting to remember his story in bits and pieces, but I was too busy trying not to be gored to death or slapped in the face with a table-length fishtail to focus.

"Hey Fishy!" I yelled as he turned toward Annabeth, who was quickly recovering from a nasty cloven-shaped bruise on her face.

"My name is Aegipan!" He roared, twisting his convoluted body in order to charge at me instead.

"Did you say Eggpan?" I taunted back, bracing myself as he shot toward me. As his horns neared me, I inhaled a short quick breath before throwing my hands up and grabbing his horns, plunging myself into the air. I soared over him, his momentum shooting me farther than I expected, and landed on top of his fishtail, desperately clinging on for dear life as my sword shot out of my grasp.

I've tried holding on to a fish before, even an eel, but this was an 800 pound scaly, slimy fishtail that smelled like I'd be taking showers for months to get the stench off. Aegipan clearly didn't approve of me saddling up on his behind because he started bucking so hard I felt like I was a professional bull rider.

Through the blur of movement and trying to keep my brain from being shaken into mush, I gripped tighter, which probably wasn't the smartest idea, because after one hard jolt, my mouth closed with a snap and I started tasting blood. Aegipan was doing his best impression of the sea during a storm, spitting and roaring and cursing at me while bucking violently, threatening to pitch me off with every movement.

Through the haze I realized Annabeth was still fighting him, trying to avoid being beaten by his hooves and gored by his horns. I heard a sharp howl as Annabeth got a good swipe of her knife in, which I used as an opportunity to right myself on Aegipan's fish-butt. With a clear view of Annabeth, I mimed a throwing action, pointing at her knife. It took a few tries, since she was more focused on not letting the fish-goat kill her, but she finally got the point and dove to the side as she threw her knife as high as possible. Aegipan charged for her at the same moment, ending up catching nothing but air, but he dove under Annabeth's knife, which I caught just in time.

All my muscles were starting to scream from holding on to the fish, so I quickly jabbed the knife as hard as I could into the fleshy part of the fish, earning a deep howl from Aegipan.

He dissolved quickly, the dust mingling with the already blinding wind. I recovered Annabeth's knife and did a double take after I caught a glimpse of something shiny. I reached down and picked up the most beautiful fish scale I'd ever seen, shifting it to and fro as it caught the light, transforming the surface into holographic rainbows. Annabeth's knife must have dislodged it from Aegipan. I pocketed it quickly, taking a mental note to look at it again later when I had more time.

I looked around for Annabeth, calling out her name softly when the mist shifted and rendered me blind. She responded quietly from my left, so I set off, hands in front of my face, feeling for her. I tripped over her completely several seconds later and realized she was lying down, nursing a deep bruise on her side.

"Are you okay?" I asked dumbly, gently caressing Annabeth's shoulder as her breathing slowly lightened and she pulled herself up into a cross legged position.

She nodded and continued massaging her side. "Felt like getting hit by a truck," she muttered. I grimaced and thought back on what Aegipan had said, trying to piece together what little facts he gave us and what knowledge I had from Chiron's teachings.

"Aegipan was a hero, wasn't he?" I pondered aloud, trying to recollect the full story as my adrenaline calmed.

"According to the story," Annabeth said, her grey eyes darkening. "He's related to Pan, but more like a distant cousin. His name means all-goat and all-storm."

"He was under Typhon in the original Titan war, right?" I asked. "But he betrayed them and saved the gods."

Annabeth sighed. "After that first battle against Typhon, he helped Zeus by stealing back his severed sinews from Typhon, which allowed Zeus to regain his strength and win against Typhon."

"So he was a hero," I said. "I guess Zeus didn't trust him though, so he must've banished him into the stars to live as a constellation." Seemed like a pretty sweet deal to me, but I didn't say that to Annabeth.

"They said it was his reward for his service to the gods," Annabeth said sadly. "But it seems like it was more like a prison." She lifted up her shirt to reveal that the bruise on her side was fading already. "Imagine being watched for centuries by the gods after you helped them regain their power. Seems like their usual manipulation."

Her last statement made me remember something Aegipan had mentioned. "Wait, what was it that you said earlier? 'Do you know who guided us here?'" I asked. "And Aegipan said you already knew?"

Annabeth looked sadly into my eyes. "Don't you know, Percy? Hera only appears to us when she needs something, or has us mixed up in her plans."


	14. We Get Some Advice

After we tended to our wounds with what little supplies we had left, we agreed that I would take the first watch. Annabeth's breathing slowed as she drifted to sleep in my lap, still holding the wound Aegipan had left which had mostly healed by now.

I found myself squinting angrily through the bright mist and relaxed my face. There were so many questions but not enough answers about this quest—a feeling I'd had before. Why couldn't the gods just give it to us straight? Why couldn't Hera just tell us what was going on?

I shook my head, trying to loosen the thoughts in my brain, and peered down at Annabeth. I wondered whether the gods' tokens of power had been sold on the godly black market yet, and if we would ever find them again. My dad will be pretty upset when I have to tell him I fell asleep and lost his trident.

I heard scuffling far off to my left and snapped my head up, searching for its source. I thought I saw a person, gliding through the mist as though they were hovering. I quickly tapped Annabeth awake, holding a finger to my lips and then pointing at the figure. Annabeth slowly sat up, gesturing toward the figure, so we both stood and silently walked closer.

"Hello Perseus, Annabeth," a woman said, trailing her finger through the magnificent golden scales she held. "I heard from Rumor that you had arrived."

I held my breath as I looked at her, noticing a resemblance to someone I'd met before. She had beautiful braids of hair piled on her head and was wearing stereotypical traditional Greek robes. The scales she held balanced in her hand were intricately woven, looking as though they were made of liquid gold.

"Are you… Are you related to Nike, by any chance?" I asked, as Annabeth leaned forward beside me.

The woman sighed softly as she replied. "Unfortunately, yes. Nike is my sister. She can have quite an attitude, can't she?" She looked me straight in the eyes, and I shivered. It seemed like she was examining me, searching for some type of knowledge.

"Uh, yeah, she was a little overwhelming," I said, remembering the way Leo creatively described her as "pumped-up espresso crazy."

The woman searched my face, chuckling as if she knew my thoughts. "I am Dike," she said. "Goddess of Justice."

"I thought the goddess of Justice was blindfolded?" Annabeth questioned.

"That is my Roman counterpart, my dear. The Greeks did not believe in blind justice. Do you?" It felt like this lady was looking straight into my soul as she asked her question, which I didn't like one bit.

"Are you an Astrothesiae as well then?" Annabeth asked politely. I suddenly had a million questions, starting with what the heck was an Astro-thewhatever, and ending with what the heck did Annabeth know that I didn't?

"I am, child of Athena," Dike replied with a kind smile, "Though Perseus seems to think the knowledge you are withholding from him is unfair, child. Unjust." Her eyes again met mine, sending shivers down my spine for the second time.

"Can you read our minds?" I asked her, feeling more than a little violated.

"No, Perseus, I can only judge what you deem fair. I am like Janus, in this respect. While he has choices, I preside over judgements. I come to you both only to warn you, and to give to you. Be careful of the stars, young ones, for they are not blind, and they are watching your every step. Time is useless here, but your courage is not, have faith that the scales will become balanced once more soon enough."

"As for my gift," Dike added, her golden scales starting to glow brighter, "as my sister Nike can foresee victorious outcomes, I too can foresee future judgements. Use my words as advice, for if you do not, everything will be lost, and the scales will be crippled."

"Daughter of Athena," Dike began, "you have a stubbornness in you that can be dangerous. You are grounded by your roots, don't let this prevent you from challenging your own thoughts and values. Those who do not question their own intelligence will always be half as confident as you. Intelligence and emotion will balance you, child, allow yourself to walk their paths equally."

"Son of Poseidon, you have the heart of a lion, and your soul is just. You have a thirst for fairness and justice that I have not seen in a millennia. Remain confident in yourself, for you provide for others what they cannot provide themselves. Continue your path, Perseus, and remind yourself that courage and kindness can balance the scales equally."

Her scales had been growing white-hot, drowning everything in our vision, until we unshielded our eyes to see that Dike had disappeared. I looked at Annabeth, who was looking pale, and tried to steady my own hands before reaching out to her.

"How did she know…" Annabeth began, before shaking her head slowly and then looking at the ground, holding my arm around her as if it were a venomous snake.

"She seemed nice," I joked, trying to break the tension that hung on in the air. Godly prophesies and advice couldn't be ignored, but I knew Annabeth was in no mood to talk about it. I suggested we lay down for a bit and try to get some sleep again, since it had been interrupted the first time. Annabeth gladly laid down, resting her head on her elbow.

"I know where we are now, Percy," she said miserably.

"I know where we are too," I said, trying to shake both Hera's motives and Dike's words out of my head.


	15. Surprise Visit From A Surprise Guest

After getting some much needed rest, Annabeth woke up and told me to go to sleep, which I happily did, until yet another dream decided to ruin my beauty sleep.

"Perseus Jackson," the booming voice said. "I look forward to meeting you in battle." His enormous eyes glowed as bright as two suns as he swept his giant cloak over the Earth, covering my home, covering New York, North America, the entire world in inky pitch black darkness, swirling around and drowning everything I loved. His laugh sounded like mountains crashing together— shaking me to my core, until Annabeth shook me awake worriedly, staring at me as I fought to catch my breath and relax my heartbeat.

"Bad dream," I said, trying not to think about what I just saw.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes at me and then exhaled slowly, sitting back and staring at the mist around us. I could sense the gears in her brain turning, and just decided to get everything out in the open.

"So this is Heaven?" I asked, slightly disappointed in the lack of Heavenly decorations and fanfare.

"No, not quite," Annabeth replied. "I think we're in the layer below Heaven. Like the atmosphere."

I thought about this for a second and it made sense. The mist, the heaviness we'd been feeling. A question hit me in the head like a sack of bricks. "If this is almost Heaven, then why couldn't Hera come up here herself? I thought Heaven was her domain."

"I don't think she could, Percy," Annabeth said. "I think she's either scared, or being blocked out somehow. The Astrothesiae and Zodiakos have found their way down from the stars and are closer to Earth, which means something is seriously wrong." She sighed, wrapping her arms around herself and looking at the ground as she puzzled over what was going on.

"What are Astrothesiae again?" I said, not remembering the word, which meant I probably dozed through that particular lesson from Chiron.

Annabeth rolled her eyes playfully as she explained, "Astrothesiae are the spirits or living forms of the heavenly constellations. They were mostly heroes and creatures who were placed amongst the stars by the gods as rewards for their service or as a memorial of their crime."

"Like Zoë," I whispered, a lump forming in my throat.

"Like Zoë," Annabeth repeated softly, putting her arms around me. We sat like that for a while, listening to each other breathing and watching the mist maddeningly swirl around us.

"So the Zodiakos are what mortals think of as the zodiac signs?" I asked Annabeth, trying to distract her from thinking about Zoë. I shook my own head, as if the sadness that hurt my heart and rattled around my brain could come tumbling out of my ears.

"Yes, they're usually monsters though. We've encountered some on Earth even. Do you remember the Nemean Lion?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh yeah! So I'm guessing that's Leo?" I replied, wiggling my eyebrows. My sign happened to be Leo, which Annabeth definitely remembered, because she just groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Well since there's no sign for oblivious hard-headed dorks, I guess they had to make do with Leo," Annabeth laughed quietly, avoiding my outstretched arms trying to tickle her sides. I fell over and she crawled next to me, still giving me a breathy giggle at the exaggerated hurt look on my face.

We laid there for a while, side by side in thoughtful silence, until Annabeth had the nerve to poke and prod me into getting up and walking again. I was groaning internally at the thought of hiking through the blinding mist for another frustrating day when Annabeth quickly grabbed hold of my hand, banishing all other thoughts in my head. I realized she hadn't grabbed my hand in a sweepingly romantic gesture when I looked at her jaw-dropped face and then quickly searched for the source of her awe.

Now I'm not usually the jealous type, but my brain was screaming at me that whatever had Annabeth looking like that was definitely nothing in my league, which was confirmed when I stared at the angel that had appeared before us, standing on a set of brilliantly white marble steps.

"Are we—did we—did we die?" I stuttered, my jaw on the floor as I tried to comprehend the beauty of the guy in front of me. Wait a second—beauty? Normally I wouldn't call a guy _beautiful_ per se, maybe Jason was a looker, but I'd never admit that, much less call him beautiful, but this guy—this angel—he was more than beautiful. He made my head dizzy and my eyes goggle, which made me even more grateful that my friends weren't here to laugh at me and that Annabeth was just as transfixed as I was.

"Rest assured, you have not died, Perseus Jackson. This is not quite Heaven," the guy said, cutting through the idiotic spew running through my brain and making me even more entranced by his voice.

Annabeth gave a soft sigh next to me, and I snuck a quick peak to see that her eyes had glazed over and she was smiling softly, a smile I had seen before.

I didn't realize it until she jumped guiltily, but I had cleared my throat. The angel in front of us looked at me with a soft smirk, as if he was used to this kind of attention. I felt my face turning red and tried not to look into his eyes, which were a beautiful creamy latte color, though I would never say that out loud. I wondered if he would speak again when I realized neither I nor Annabeth had said anything in the last few minutes.

"So who are you then?" I asked, knowing full well he could be a gorgeous monster leading us into a trap. Annabeth stirred restlessly beside me as the guy looked us both up and down, giving me chills.

"I am Ganymede," Ganymede responded, his voice echoing regally off the marble steps, "and I have something for you."


	16. Mansion of all Mansions

Closing my mouth proved to be a tremendous effort as Ganymede arched one perfect brow and began ushering us gently up the gleaming marble staircase. From what I could tell, the staircase looked like it led right up into Heaven, disappearing into giant fluffy clouds and looking eerily similar to Olympus hanging above the Empire State. My shoulder brushed Annabeth's every time we took a step, which made me feel a little braver about our situation.

So far we'd met two weird naked twins, a fish-tailed goat monster, and a goddess with a fondness for weighted scales. I could only wonder which side Ganymede was on, and what that would mean for us. I knew he and Zeus used to have a thing back in the day, but I wasn't sure if he'd turned bitter against the gods like Aegipan or not.

"Where does this lead?" Annabeth asked, her voice ringing through the crisp, clear air. It was only then that I realized it was the first time since we'd been launched up here that the mist wasn't hanging like a shroud over us.

"To my home, of course," Ganymede said, as we finally broke through the clouds at the top of the steps and saw a humongous mansion, gleaming like it'd been polished every day for the past thousand years.

"Oh my gods," I heard Annabeth whisper hoarsely beside me; I just knew her architect brain was going a mile a minute. Ganymede chuckled at Annabeth's reaction.

"Yes, Zeus was never one for subtlety," he said with a smirk, "I just wanted something simple and he decides to lavish me." Ganymede didn't seem too upset about Zeus' overcompensation as he eyed the mansion with a humorous look in his eye. He reminded me of Rachel a bit, though I would never in a million years tell her that.

The mansion looked towered over us, reminding me of Zeus' throne on Olympus. Ganymede caught my eyes and nodded, his own eyes sparkling with humor.

"Hera was very jealous of me," Ganymede began. "So this was Zeus' compromise. Hera could tell his comings and goings in her realm, could keep him underneath her microscope. I spent years in the stars, but I could retire here for his visits. Would you like to hear more?"

I glanced over at Annabeth, who was ogling a marble statue of Zeus, and turned my attention back to the mansion. Ganymede opened the double doors and ushered us through, our footsteps echoing off the gleaming floors. I felt extremely dirty suddenly, remembering my singed hair, bloody ears, and torn clothes. I told myself not to touch anything, but my ADHD had me wanting to pick up everything within reach as we walked through the entryway and into a giant living room. I was twitching toward the huge fluffy red pillows on the couch that looked like they were made from Aphrodite's favorite fur when an item in the center of the room grabbed my attention.

"Beware, Jackson," Ganymede's angelic voice boomed from behind me. I suddenly realized I was hovering over a goblet, centered on an ornate pedestal in the middle of the room. It was surrounded by luxurious items that even Rachel's dad would probably balk at, but the goblet was what stole all of my overactive attention. There wasn't anything insanely special about it, but I knew deep down it was important, and could feel it in my heart as I stared at the cracked carvings etched into the side, all but faded by history.

"This is the cup of the gods," Ganymede stated flatly, a strange edge to his voice. Annabeth nodded knowingly to him and I felt a little frustrated that I was missing out on some secret ancient history lesson yet again. It wasn't my fault I always had to be away from camp on some urgent quest. The gods were seriously messing up my education.

"It's pretty cool," I said, trying to cut some of the tension in the room. Ganymede chuckled, his bad mood dissipating as quickly as it came. I internally breathed a sigh of relief that I wouldn't have to fight him.

"Percy, it's not _cool_ ," Annabeth said, moving closer in order to elbow me in the side. Ganymede smiled this time.

"In my time, Perseus, I knew I was handsome. I knew women fauned over me and men adored me. It came as naturally to me to attract others as it was to breathe. I never asked for this life, this role, but it has come to be all the same; it was my fate," Ganymede paused, thinking for a moment before he continued.

"I was a Trojan prince, and lived in the palace of Dardania. My father, Tros, was a great king, so great that they named Troy after his name. One day I was tending to my father's sheep, and from the sky an eagle stole me. I woke to immortality in Olympus, and Zeus himself decreed me as cupbearer of the gods. This upset Hebe, of course, and also Hera, but Zeus was bound by his affection with me. At first I saw this as a curse, though over time I realize the affection of Zeus is a powerful tool," Ganymede smirked, his angelic features becoming more sarcastic as he continued.

"My father was distraught over my disappearance of course, but Zeus ensured his happiness and wealth by supplying him with many gifts. Hermes himself told my father of my new position in Olympus, and of my own gift of immortality. With my family happy and my own position secure, I continued to do the gods' bidding. Unlike Aegipan, I chose to accept my fate, and became the cupbearer of the gods; I fed them nectar and ambrosia, listened to their silly secrets, watched them make their godly mistakes, and enjoyed the love Zeus' gifts have shown me," Ganymede finished, becoming very still as he gazed again at the cup shining on the pedestal.

"But then why are you up here?" Annabeth asked quietly, but I could hear the curiosity burning in her voice.

"When Hera grew tired of my presence on Olympus, Zeus sensed that she would soon plot against me. He set up a sanctuary for me here that allows me to come and go. I represent what you know as the constellation Aquarius, though I am not shackled in the stars like most others. This mansion was built by one of his lightning strikes, which is why the marble gleams so brightly, even in the dark of night," Ganymede grinned at us.

"But it's not even night," I said, realizing it hadn't seemed like the days were passing at all up here.

"That is Aether's doing. I assure you it is night, Perseus. Aether has shrouded this place in mist, clouding truth and vision." I must have showed my "uh what" thoughts on my face, because Annabeth jumped in right there as if we were in a history lesson with Chiron rather than a place where constellations were walking and talking to us.

"Aether is the primeval god of the shining light of the blue sky. He is the substance of light, a layer of bright mist which lays between the dome of Heaven and the lower air that surrounds Earth," Annabeth said, sounding as if it were by rote memory.

"Hera must not be too happy then," I said, surprising Ganymede.

"I daresay not, Perseus," Ganymede laughed. "It seems Aether's mist is preventing Hera from accessing her realm, or else the goddess would have already stormed up to Heaven and demanded his defeat.

"I wonder why she didn't mention all this when we had that polite little chat back at camp," I said, the annoyance coming out in my voice.

"She probably didn't want to seem weak," Annabeth said, holding in a smile. Ganymede grinned devilishly at her. I was getting the feeling he really didn't like Hera.

Suddenly I felt a little woozy, and looked at Annabeth for comfort. She met my eyes and voiced what I was feeling.

"It's been a while since we've eaten and had some rest," Annabeth said to Ganymede. God I love her.

"Of course, mortal stamina is so much lower than I remember," Ganymede said, which I was about to make a sarcastic retort for, when he continued, saying, "since you are my guests, I have arranged for the masters to attend to you." Ganymede sauntered off down the hallway, leading us to the enormous and—you guessed it—gleaming white kitchen.

Movement to the left caught my eyes and I turned to see the Dioscuri, setting up what looked like an amazing buffet on Ganymede's huge dining room table (I mean, who really needs 16 place settings for their dining room table?).

"Perseus!" Castor said.

"Annabeth!" Polydeuces added.

"We've been waiting—"

"—so long for you two!" They finished together, only adding to my confusion.


	17. We Get Some Regifted Presents

**Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for the favorites and comments! I've already got the rest of the story plot planned out and ready to go, the end is completely finished, so don't worry about me not finishing the story. We're nearing the good stuff, and you'll meet some interesting characters pretty soon. Thanks so much guys!**

"What do you mean you've been waiting for us?" Annabeth asked as we both stepped into the dining room, our eyes scoping out the enormous amounts of food. I was already salivating at one of the baked potatoes in front of me when Ganymede cleared his throat.

"We'll get to that later," Ganymede said, giving the twins a look and then sitting down primly at the head of the table, looking once again like an angel.

"The twins grinned mischievously and nodded at him. "Whatever you say, boss, wouldn't want to ruin our travelers' meal!" They said in unison. When they came around the table to take a seat I was relieved to see that they were now wearing a tunic-like shift around their conjoined waist, instead of being fully naked. They took up almost three seats, but they did it so smoothly I hadn't even realized they had sat down.

Before I could get too deep into thought about how they went to the bathroom, Ganymede scraped some food into the small brazier next to him, and whispered "strength, my lord." There was a slight sizzle and a small jolt of electricity made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Annabeth and I did the same; I prayed to my dad and hoped he could somehow hear me. The Dioscuri started ravaging the plates in front of them, which I took as our cue to do the same. I was still inhaling some scrambled eggs when Annabeth shifted her attention to the twins.

"So why are you really here?" Annabeth asked, her grey eyes looking at each twin very closely. I leaned back in my chair and suppressed a large belch, still eyeing the cinnamon rolls in front of Ganymede.

He caught my eye and looked like he suppressed a grin. "Perhaps we should speak upstairs," he said, cutting off the twins' reply.

The Dioscuri nodded to him, then stood up at once and left the dining room surprisingly fast, given their interesting anatomical situation. Annabeth and I followed after them, leaving Ganymede last in line as we climbed the spotless marble staircase.

"How do we know we can trust them?" I muttered to Annabeth, sneaking a peak at Ganymede and wondering if they were secretly behind the gods' disappearance. I knew full well the bitterness of these fallen stars thanks to Aegipan, and Ganymede seemed like the likeliest to hold a grudge against Zeus.

"We don't know, Percy. We just have to—" the rest of Annabeth's reply was cut off we rounded the corner and she gasped.

In the center of the room was a table, and on that table was my father's trident, the helm of darkness, and the master bolt. The room crackled with power, as if it were doing everything possible to not explode.

"Why do you have these?" Annabeth asked, her voice calm but I knew she was just as suspicious as I was. Looking from the twins to Ganymede, I placed my hand on Riptide in my pocket.

"I am bound to Zeus, Annabeth Chase, or weren't you listening to my story earlier?" Ganymede replied, his face pinching into an expression I couldn't figure out.

"Why would you even say that?" I asked, "you told us yourself what the gods did to you." My fingers tensing on Riptide. Ganymede shifted his gaze to me, his eyes going through me as if he were looking at someone else.

"You have met Aphrodite, have you not, Jackson? You have met winged Cupid? You have learned their mischievous ways and secretive evils?" Ganymede asked, and suddenly it made sense why he had the items.

"You're trying to save him, aren't you?" I asked quietly. Annabeth walked over to study the items, but I knew she was still listening closely.

Ganymede suddenly seemed very old to me, all one thousand years showing on his face at once, and I was suddenly struck with a deep sadness for him, wondering how he had been a pawn of the gods for so long when I was sick of them after only a few years. I took my hand off Riptide and reached out and grabbed his shoulder, looking him in the eyes and nodding. He looked back at me, his eyes churning with emotion, and nodded gravely back at me, straightening up.

"I will help you, Perseus," he said, a rough edge to his normally smooth voice. A new intensity came to him then, creating a glow that was difficult to look at. I broke eye contact and shifted my eyes to Annabeth, who was studying the helm of darkness with almost a rehearsed air. I wondered how much she heard when Ganymede cleared his throat and I immediately released my grip on his shoulder, becoming embarrassingly aware that the Dioscuri were staring at me, their mouths open in shock.

As Ganymede walked away from me and over to Annabeth, taking the tokens carefully from the table and lowering them into what looked like a Nike duffle bag, I walked over to the twins.

"What?" I said gruffly, trying to keep my face neutral. The twins looked at eachother, then back at me.

"We've never seen Ganymede like this, Jackson," said Castor.

"You need to be careful, Perseus," said Pollux.

"Careful with Ganymede?" I asked, wishing they would spit it out and quit playing with me.

"Remember the prophecy," they said together, their voices lowering into a sad pitch. I was about to ask what the heck they were talking about when they turned and disappeared, almost as if they had vanished through an invisible curtain. I blinked once and then spun around to ask what just happened when Ganymede spoke softly next to Annabeth.

"They do that often. Being the aids of travelers, they have their own unique ways of travelling. They are quite the curious pair, aren't they?" He asked, the corner of his lips turning up into a slight smile.

"Yeah, if 'curious' is the word you want to use," I said, thinking of several other phrases that could fit. Ganymede's lips twitched and he strode out of the room still carrying the Nike bag, leaving Annabeth and I trailing after him.

"Your room is here," Ganymede said, opening a pair of ornate double doors that probably cost more than my mom's apartment. Annabeth smiled at him and went in with zero hesitation, most likely beating me to the shower.

I fought back a yawn at the thought of sleeping as Ganymede descended down the stairs with the bag, leaving me standing by the doors feeling as though I'd learned both nothing and too much in the last few hours. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow, Annabeth already snoring quietly beside me.


	18. A Postcard from Heaven

After what felt like twelve hours of dead sleep, we woke to the sound of the doorbell ringing, which I wasn't expecting since we were sleeping in a palace in the sky. Does Pizza Hut even deliver this far?

Annabeth woke up beside me, shoving her hair out of her face and getting out of bed with lightning speed.

"Percy get up," Annabeth said with quiet urgency, shoving her knife back into place and ushering me out of the door. I stifled a yawn and grabbed Riptide, and after a brief second of thought, also grabbed Aegipan's scale, which I had thrown haphazardly on the ornate nightstand the night before. We walked quickly to the marble staircase overlooking the ornate front door.

"I wonder if Ganymede had any more friends he wasn't telling us about," I muttered, instantly distrusting everything he had told us. Ganymede appeared from a large door on the opposite side of the hall, his eyes meeting mine as if he could hear exactly what I said. He walked to the giant front door, crossing the grand entryway as if he were gliding, and threw open one of the doors with a little less caution than I would've liked.

"Hello sweet Ganymede," a women's voice echoed, sounding shrill and tinny. I glanced at Annabeth and she looked just as lost as I was for a change.

"Oh. Hello Arce. What do you want?" I couldn't hear whether or not Ganymede sighed, but I swear he did. His tone kinda sounded like Chiron after I'd accidentally burned down half the archery range.

Arce moved closer to Ganymede, stepping into the threshold and handing him a small object. She was tall and willowy, long black hair flowing down her shoulders, with olive-colored skin and cold, brown eyes—I realized with a start that she was vaguely familiar.

Annabeth started slowly down the staircase with me not far behind her, the wheels turning in my head as I tried to figure out who she was. Ganymede snatched the object out of Arce's hand with a graceful disdain, one perfect eyebrow arching as he read the front of what looked like a letter. As Annabeth and I reached the door, he handed the letter to me, not taking his eyes off Arce.

"What is this about?" Ganymede asked Arce. She stared hard into his eyes without answering and then shifted her gaze to me, her eyes boring into mine as I realized who she reminded me of.

"You're related to Iris, aren't you?" I asked her, holding the letter between my fingers like it was going to explode.

"So you've met my sister then, Jackson," Arce said, turning up her nose, "though there are few that haven't I suppose." She scoffed and shifted her gaze to Annabeth, as if daring her to speak.

"I've never heard of you," Annabeth challenged her, which is honestly a first on the list of things-I've-never-heard-Annabeth-say. Arce's eyes flashed with anger, taking a step back outside.

"You stupid Demigods never knew anything. It was always Iris this and Iris that. I am the messenger of the Titans you foolish girl! I was always much more important than my impudent sister, with her shameless bohemian ways. She followed the gods because she was a fool, an idiot who thought freedom and change was more important than the ways of the Titans! And yet I was the one punished, I was the one cast into Tartarus for doing my duty!" Arce huffed, her face was red from her rant and there was sweat beading on her forehead. I just smiled, thinking of the Iris we met in the store, urging Frank to follow his dreams. My smile seemed to piss Arce off more, because she stuck her bony finger in my face and started yelling, her body starting to vibrate and glow.

"You smile now Jackson but we have your weak father, the insolent god of the sea, and you will not be laughing when we cast him into Tartarus just as the gods did to me! Zeus will pay for this! No longer will I be in my sister's shadow, chained like a monster and forgotten by those who once feared me!" With these last words, Arce glowed so bright that we all looked quickly away, and then as she disappeared, gathered around the letter in my hand. I felt sick to my stomach at Arce's words. I knew what she said wasn't just an idle threat. A chill went through me and Annabeth put her arm around my waist, creating the anchor of comfort I needed to open the letter. I looked up at Annabeth and Ganymede and they both nodded back at me, their faces showing anticipation.

My fingers slid under the seal and broke it, sliding out a thick piece of paper that resembled a postcard. It read:

 _"Perseus Jackson, I look forward to meeting you. Come alone to my palace in the sky or face the consequences of your absence. Your father sends his greetings."_

There was a smudge of sand at the bottom of the card, signed "Aether" in large calligraphy script. I tried to force out a joke, but all that came out was a weak cough. Ganymede was the one that finally broke the silence.

"Well Aether has always been more flash than substance. Though I suppose this is an invitation we cannot decline."


End file.
